Gratitude journal prompts can guide your journaling by helping you seek the good in regular, everyday things. 

Gratitude journaling forces us to pay attention and find the benefit of everything in our lives. You take a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly. 

No matter how small, you dig deep and write down why you’re grateful for it. 

When we take time to notice the things that go right – it means we’re getting a lot of little rewards throughout the day.

martin seligman

Why a gratitude journal?

Research on how gratitude affects the brain found that gratitude unshackles us from toxic emotions. Writing down what you’re grateful for shifts your attention away from emotions, such as resentment and envy. 

This same study found that our brains overtime eventually become more attuned with seeking the positive. 

According to the Greater Good in Action, the act of writing down and being specific about what we’re grateful for is key to deepening the emotional impact. 

You want to go deeper than saying, “I’m thankful for my cousin.” 

Instead, it would be even better if you elaborated by saying something like: “I’m thankful that my cousin reached out to me on Friday and asked how I was doing.” 

These 40 gratitude journal prompts are here to use if you want to start practicing gratitude and being more positive.

40 Gratitude Journal Prompts to Stay Positive: 

1. A person I’m glad to have in my life
2. A memory that makes me smile
3. A place where I feel safe
4. Something that brought me hope recently
5. A song that reminds me of a happy memory
6. A future event that I’m excited about 
7. A book I loved reading 
8. A characteristic of my home that I love
9. What about my body that I’m most grateful for
10. Someone I feel thankful for meeting
11. My biggest accomplishment so far
12. One small accomplishment I did today
13. Something I purchased recently that made me happy
14. Favorite gift I gave someone
15. Something in the room that I’m grateful for
16. A favorite memory that I’m thankful for
17. A painful experience that helped me grow
18. Something positive in my life that I didn’t have a year ago
19. A possession that makes my life easier 
20. A person from the past that I’m most grateful for
21. People that have a positive effect on my life
22. One thing I like about my job/school
23. Someone/something that made me smile today
24. An artist/musician/author that I’m grateful for
25. My proudest accomplishment 
26. List of what I’m grateful for about my country
27. Something that made me laugh recently
28. Something nice I did for someone recently 
29. A list of things I want to manifest (write them as if they are already yours)
30. A challenge that I’m grateful for and what it taught me
31. An opportunity that I’m thankful for
32. A life lesson I learned recently
33. The most significant gift in my life 
34. A fear I’ve overcome 
35. Everyday items that I’m grateful for
36. List of what sets me apart from others
37. How I plan to inject more gratitude into a situation that’s currently challenging
38. Positive news that I’ve received recently 
39. A childhood lesson that I’m grateful for
40. List of what I like about the city I live in

I created a free printable version of this list. All you have to do is fill out the form below, and you’ll get your freebie straight to your inbox. 

Looking for more inspiration?

Check out the video below to find out how gratitude has impacted and changed my life.

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